The Just Monocratic Commonwealth of Consigahria
The Just Monocratic Commonwealth of Consigahria and the Vermillion Plantations (also commonly known as the Just Monocracy of the Consigahrian Commonwealth, by its simple name Consigahria, and colloquially as the Aria) is a world benchmark for its huge land area, its massive population, its internment camps turned monk-filled monasteries, its pristine black-sand beaches lined with vacation homes, and expansive range of environments, as well as its citizens' overt sexuality, civil versatility, and lush native cuisine. Ruled byPrime Minister Chrysanthos Isabella Moshe Davis XIV with an even hand, the Jewish nation has been ruled by the Davis Royal Family since its federation. A gargantuan democratic constitutional and parliamentary autocracy, Consigahria is renowned in its region for its compulsory youth fighting academies, compulsory five-year military service, national health service, and its national police agency, Consigahria is Spiritus' most populous nation, second biggest trade leader behind Pixelpark, and largest contributor to the gross regional domestic product. Consigahria is most notable for its ubiquitous missile silos which easily blend in to the cities which surround them, and for its its laws allowing public nudity but not public indecency. Consigahria is a strikingly beautiful nation of clear skies and pristine beaches which gives one an overwhelming sense of healthiness due to the fairly heavy governmental contributions to the Environment. While Consigahria has not neglected its Defence budget completely, the army is frequently spotted picking up trash along the highways as school children are shuttled around in re-purposed personnel carriers. The Art of the Trade is a revered tome in Consigahria, where anyone and everyone from the government to the man on the street has something to buy, sell or trade in this nation dedicated to Commerce. Planes, Trains and Automobiles dominate Consigahria's well-funded Public Transportation system touted by many as some of the most reliable around. Its crowded, primarily isolationist population of 23.142 billion people are fiercely patriotic and enjoy some social equality; they have some civil rights, but not too many, and enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like (to a point). The blunt, compassionate, hard-working people are ruled by a sleek, efficient government which has taken steps to eradicate its corporate thumbnail, while companies flee the nation rather than pay their fair share of taxes. While living a healthy lifestyle is somewhat of a priority in Consigahria, it is not the only game in this nation where HealthCare receives only cursory funding. It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and the Environment. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Vermillion. Consigahria's national animal is the raven, which is also the nation's favorite main course, its national religion is Judaism, and its currency is the ruice. Martial law is currently in effect in this nation. With over 36% of the entire regional population within its borders, Consigahria is the most populous nation in Spiritus, and ranks among the top 1% of nations in the world for largest populations. Recent News Following a series of earthquakes, three tsunamis, and a large-scale oil spill along the southeastern coastline in May, 2136, almost all of Consigahria's water is piped into the country from abroad for exorbitant prices, and eminent domain has been abolished. It is illegal for police officers to carry out impromptu searches due to strict privacy laws, tourists are forbidden to enter Native Consigahrian lands, and belligerent citizens shoot at passing clouds for 'violating their airspace'. Punitive tariffs have been implemented to protect local industry, as the number of students attending university has reached a record high. The newly introduced Consigahria Automotive Racing Series draws millions of spectators annually, while those near the tracks complain about the noise. The government is rumored to hire body doubles whose full-time jobs are to cry at public events; Denali eagles with strange deformities like three eyes and tentacles have been seen prancing through the countryside where industrial waste is dumped; surrealist houses shaped like mushrooms and volcanoes dominate the wealthiest neighborhoods; and several citizens have complained about scientists abducting their pets for experimentation following the decriminalization of animal experimentation. Public nudity is sometimes compulsory when the climate shifts in order to allow it; circumcision is frowned upon and outlawed; nontraditional matryoshka dolls are frowned upon; artists are the pillars of society; oil executives can be seen reluctantly cleaning oil-soaked birds; raven hunting as a sport has been outlawed; and UFO sightings are listed daily in the morning news. All-natural foods are a major fad; and all beauty contests have been banned. Reporters often lose their jobs over fact-checking errors; the state pays for care of easily preventable illnesses; voting has become a way of life; Vermillion City is a police state during international war; and new parents must choose their children's names from a government-mandated master list. Most of the nation's wealthy aristocrats are dentists; recruitment posters proclaim the army to be both fabulous and fashionable; and college students make ends meet by selling their kidneys, while candy-slinging children as young as 8 years old can be found smoking tobacco and cannabis cigarettes in public in the ghettos of large cities. Since martial law went into effect in March, 2136, due to recent legislation in Consigahria, there have been over 48,000 military-related deaths, over R$17 million in property damage, and more than 7,000 arrests. As per regional law, CS and riot police patrol all major streets by foot and all minor streets by helicopter; the number of thefts, murders, and arrests for public indecency have skyrocketed; and due to cemetery overpopulation, cremation for the recently deceased has become legally compulsory. The government has instituted 'traveler reservations' across the country; and the government has restricted access to large areas of the nation, mostly forest. New safety regulations require all cars manufactured in Consigahria to be bombproof; industries seem to be given tax breaks seemingly for no reason; the state pays for care of easily preventable illnesses; and while the mining industry has taken a hit from tighter environmental regulations, automobile manufacturing and other industries have seized the fleeting opportunity to take the national spotlight. In February, 2148, a controversial succession to the throne took place as Prime Minister Davis XI's eldest daughter filled his shoes as the first female Prime Minister in the nation's history. Then, a series of riots boiled over and became a two-year civil war, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and billions upon billions of ruices. Later, in 2191, 64-year-old Prime Minister Davis XIV made history when she passed away to cancer. Her son, named after her, inherited her crown. Four summers later, he would have restored economic integrity to the nation, as well as peace. Geography Consigahria is placed on the northwestern coast of Spiritus' largest island (Consigahria considers this island Spiritus' mainland), facing the Vermillion Sea and more westwardly the North Pacific Ocean. To its eastern border is the Federation of Wuufu. Across the ten-mile-wide Voya Straight to the south is the Dictatorship of Skanes. Consigahria is divided into nine provinces called territories which the government delineates by mostly straight borders. They are named as follows from east to west, from north to south: Buyou Island Territory; Haruji Island Territory; Vermillion Territory; Capitol Territory; Soho Territory; Pincock Territory; Koyoumaru Territory; Voya Territory; and Brasili Territory. It's satellite colonies exempt, Consigahria's mainland is about 6,200 miles from east coast to west, and about 3,500 miles from north to south, comprising 76% of its entire landmass. The easternmost point on Buyou Island, Buyou Island Territory, is temperate forest, and Providence and Kaede Islands in the same territory are renowned paradises. Further west lies the basic outline of the mainland, which, save for its connection to Wuufu and the northern peninsula of Koyoumaru Terr., is crowded beach; and as you travel further inland into Vermillion Territory, the landscape becomes sandier and sandier and the population sparser and sparser, but as it becomes less and less humid, the sand dissipates into rural hills and valleys of temperate chaparral and colder-atmospheric swamps and forests. Even further inland is the chilly Central Consigahrian Mountain Range, a large part of Denali National Park. Devoid of permanent human residence, Denali National Park is comprised of flowery meadows, forests, and snowy hills and glaciated mountains, as well as small, sparse villages. Further east in and past Soho Territory are snow-capped peaks and hilly, mountainous landscapes, valleys, and plains which contain more concentrated populations. The tallest mountain is 30,560-foot-fall Mt. Perseverence in south central Pincock Territory's expanse of its Denali National Forest, a dormant stratovolcano which hasn't erupted since 1634. The skyline of Coaxie, Dixie, and Phados, boroughs of Vermillion City, Capital Terr., Consigahria. Foreground, center: the Coaxie Building. Background, left: the Dixie Building. Background, right, from left to right: the Cogswell Building, the Reese Building, the Staves Building; the Cratsk Building (white tapering top). Vermillion (east) and Haruji Island (west) Territories are separated by the Seppuku River, which spans for only five or so miles (eleven at its highest on record), met at either end with the North Pacific Ocean. Vermillion (west) and Soho Territories (east) are separated by a 130-meter riverbed that is the Penchariot River, which spans 120 miles short of the entire height of the nation, met at the southern border with the North Pacific Ocean. Domestically, the word "river" is removed from these rivers' titles, because they are so notorious for rising during flood seasons in excess of forty meters, physically dividing the nation. The Seppuku has faded entirely several times in the nation's history, documented in ancient Consigahrian folklore, but this occurs sporadically and only during dry seasons, so it's awkwardly common for a citizen who doesn't live in proximity to it to live his entire life without ever seeing it as it flows. The southernmost peninsula of Vermillion Terr. is Capitol Territory, which is entirely comprised of Vermillion City's numerous and diverse suburbs. Capitol Territory was the last territory to gain some political independence despite Vermillion City having been anchored there since the nation's antiquity--Vermillion City's downtown area, modern day towns of Coaxie and Phados, were the first towns to disambiguate themselves from the rest of Vermillion City by refuting the compulsory nudity law in 1918, a story yet to be told. When Vermillion City was consolidated as a metropolitan area and partitioned into towns in 1922, the towns lost most of their political independence yet were allowed to remain clothed, because clothing proved to be a (somewhat) profitable industry. With a population of over 1 billion, a Consigahrian colony has founded its own nation within the confines of the islands seized by the Consigahrian federal government from Brasilistan during the war. However, as they are their own nation, while each citizen is automatically granted status as a Consigahrian citizen, they are not counted in the national population but are instead recognized as an autonomous, independent nation. However, the islands claimed by Consigahrian Brasilistan are possessions of the homeland contractually for political and military reasons. In order from largest to smallest, major public areas are Tanahog (Vermillion Terr.), Koto(Pincock Terr.), Vermillion City (Capitol Terr.), Enryuu (Voya Terr.), Dockmackie (Pincock Terr.), and Konomahamaru (Koyoumaru Terr.). Consigahria's smallest populated area is Parich Island (pop. 1 person) off the east coast of Voya Territory. Buyou Island Territory comprises Buyou Island, the Providence Islands (North and South Providence Islands), and Kaede Island. Vermillion, Soho, Pincock, Koyoumaru, and Voya Territories comprise the mainland; and Buyou and Haruji Island Territories comprise the Ryu'ujou Islands. Voya and Koyoumaru Territories compete for largest territorial landmass, but Koyoumaru trumps its younger sister territory by 1,200 square miles. Consigahria has 42 populated islands near its mainland. Following its 2136 acquisition of the island nation Brasilistan, the nation added to its total 1,241 islands. Consigahria as a whole has 3,283 islands. Consigahria's mainland as a whole is 2,875,000 square miles in area. Including its islands, but not including its colony, Consigahria has a total landmass of 8,806,709 square miles. Economy The frighteningly efficient powerhouse Consigahrian economy, worth over an unmatched 5,669 trillion ruices a year, is driven mostly by government activity. The extremely specialized industrial sector is mostly comprised of the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Furniture Restoration, Manufacturing, Tourism, and Cheese Exports. In January, 2137, the Consigahrian economy generated 78.07% of the entire gross regional domestic product, ranking among the top 0.5% of the world for economies and top 3% of the world for economic output. As of June, 2196, documented average income is an amazing R$244,966 (ruices), and the gross domestic product is NS$10.92 quadrillion quadrillion (R$5.669 quadrillion), 65.56% of the RGDP; but there is an enormous disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 1,290,412 per year while the poor average 24,780, a ratio of 52.1 to 1. The economy hasn't been this good in five decades. Taxation Taxation differs in Consigahria than in most other democracies. Citizens pay property tax, income tax, and sales tax per paycheck. From 2120 throughout most of 2136, the wealthy paid more tax than the middle and lower classes. As of December 12th, 2136, all working class citizens pay the same flat tax rate. Income tax is legally defined as a percentage of the amount of money earned by each employee which is kept in a bank paid to the federal government, or in other words the amount of money that employers are required to take from their employees' paychecks and pay to the federal government for public spending before paying each employee. Legally speaking, money is only regarded as spendable in this context only if stored within a wallet (or similar), safe (or similar), or a bank; and money which is stored lawfully within a private safe registered with the federal government cannot be taxed. It is unlawful to evade taxation; if you work, you must pay income tax. All working citizens are required to report their earnings to the government yearly; and fraud is easily detectable and punished severely. However, money that is stored unlawfully, such as money hidden in a mattress (embezzlement), or within an unregistered safe (concealment), can be taxed if not revoked altogether. In an operation called cleaning money, the federal government dumps all unlawfully stored money back into the nation's highly efficient black market. Property tax works the same way. In February, 2148, the average income tax rate was 1.5-1.8%; as of January, 2150, the average income tax rate was 2.5-4%; as of June, 2196, the average income tax rate is 1.9%. Trade Foreign trade In March, 2137, Consigahria imported NS$108 trillion worth of product and exported NS$110.682 quadrillion, generating a record trade surplus of NS$2.197 trillion (R$4.3 trillion). Consigahria exports firearms, bullets, firearm accessories, petroleum and petroleum products, film and film products and accessories, diamonds, various fruits and vegetables, gold- and diamond-encrusted furniture, wind turbines and accessories, horse carriages, bicycles, scooters, and more. For those in the know, there is a highly efficient (and technically illegal) black market which the government chooses to ignore, mostly because it contributes to the GDP. About 2-63% of the black market contributes to the nation's export ratings annually. Before its natural disasters in 2136, Consigahria was among the lead traders in the region; but after, it began to have a growing trade deficit. As of October, 2136, it had a trade deficit of NS$1.6 trillion per day. As a result, printing of paper money and creation of coins in Consigahrian currency was suspended. No more than two months later, the nation recovered and began to export more and more. As of December, 2136, the nation carried a trade surplus of NS$9.28 trillion (R$4.87 trillion), a rise of over 1,491% from the previous year. As of March 10th, 2137, however, Consigahria was succeeded as regional trade leader by Pixelpark; and the government stopped making regular monthly reports. As of May 28, 2195, Consigahria has a trade surplus of NS$5.838 trillion. Domestic trade In February, 2137, slave trade was legalized with provisions. At first, there was mass confusion in most of the nation. Anybody who is a certified citizen of Consigahria is ineligible to be a slave, and anybody who is of a noble family is also ineligible. It is specifically illegal to take or purchase a slave without that person's intent, whether it happens within Consigahria's borders or not, consequently ending in that slave's work for a citizen of Consigahria. In late February, 2137, 58-year-old Hadassah Macy and his sons Braidy (age 17) and Justice (age 18) successfully incapacitated and detained 38-year-old Alim Kamal Abdulrashid and his 16-year-old daughter Ruba (Ruba Khadija Abdulrashid), placing them in the bay of a horse carriage trailer, hitched on the rear of a pick-up truck. Abdulrashid's 36-year-old wife Sahar (Sahar Ruya Abdulrashid) died trying to save them. After their abduction, Abdulrashid and daughter were taken to upscale Kent, Vermillion City, a mountainous high-class residential area. Macy's family lived on a 3,200-acre property in a three-story seven-bedroom house. His wife Sarah remained unemployed all throughout their 32-year marriage, because Hadassah's entrepreneurship made enough money to afford the bills and much more. However, Braidy and Justice, subjected to homeschooling instead of mainstream public schooling for all of their lives, were going to college in Vermillion City soon, and in order to secure it, Hadassah had paid upwards of R$550,000 for each son's education in just a few months, half of his yearly salary. If his 17-year-old daughter is accepted into the same college, he will inevitably write another check for R$277,000; and less than a decade later, if his 15-year-old daughter Aureliana goes to the same college, he will write another exorbitantly-priced check; and the same in the case of his 12-year-old daughter Sylvianne. He will have paid in total an estimated R$1,385,100 for all the education of all of his children, a million-dollar expense on top of his normal living expenses. To supplement, he has two choices: hire slave labor to replace his family's cook and maintenance crews, or blindly begin black market trading. From February to late March, 2137, Abdulrashid and daughter experienced inexplicable tortures, including sodomy, forced marriage, rape and insemination, and the castration of Abdulrashid himself. On March 20, 2137, to the horror of impregnated daughter Ruba, Alim Kamal Abdulrashid was shot and killed by Justice Macy for the attempted murder of Hadassah Macy. The police were called to the scene, and Ruba Abdulrashid was set free and taken to Vermillion Metropolitan Interregional Hospital, fortified after the previous natural incidents and terrorist attacks. Justice Macy was tried for the murder of Abdulrashid, but was acquitted on the grounds that he was defending his father's life, who was badly beaten but lived to tell the violent tale. However, the Macy family was tried for illegal procurement of slaves, illegal facilitation of slave labor, and the murder of Sahar Ruya Abdulrashid, and were found guilty of all charges. Despite his argument that the decriminalization of slave ownership meant that his forcible taking of a slave was a legal act, for the capital felony of murder of an illegally procured slave, Justice Macy was sentenced to death by lethal injection. A Vermillion City Supreme Court reinforced the Prime Minister's previous ruling, that "it is specifically illegal to take or purchase a slave without that person's intent, whether it happens within Consigahria's borders or not, consequently ending in that slave's work for a citizen of Consigahria" (P.M. Davis-Hobbes XI, 12 March 2137). For the felony of illegal procurement of slaves and illegal facilitation of slave labor, Hadassah & Sarah Macy were each sentenced to 45 years of federal imprisonment with no chance for parole. For accessory to capital felony, Braidy Macy was sentenced to lifetime federal imprisonment with possibility for parole after 25 years. Ruba, Aureliana, and Sylvianne were ordered into the custody of the state. Slave trade is subject to heavy regulation in Consigahria. Common law crimes still apply with slaves--in Consigahria, a slave is still a legal citizen and is entitled to all the rights of a legal citizen, except for the fact that he is contractually bound to work as a slave on a plantation for a certain salary, which is usually minimum wage. Slaves are taxed much less than regular citizens. There are over 8 billion slaves in Consigahria. Recreational drug use is not a inherently a criminal act in Consigahria; however there are laws governing how a person treats his own body or the body of another person, and there are laws regulating trade of some drugs. In Consigahria, people felonies (felonies which affect people, such as theft, murder, manslaughter, etc.) are specifically illegal at the federal level. This means you could be charged with manslaughter and other drug charges if you sell scopolamine or alcohol to somebody and they overdose and die. However, generally, there seems to be an absence of laws governing drug use, except where sale from state to population is concerned. The government sells some drugs to help with drug addiction--for example, cannabis and liquid methadone are sold by government clinics to rebut addiction to meth. In Consigahria, the drug black market is alive, well, and booming. As a socialist and democratic domestic policy, the black market is allowed to run rampant. In most cases of medical treatment of drug addiction, clinic patients must sign a waiver and a contract stipulating they will continue to seek treatment, or forfeit their right to seek treatment altogether for no less than a year. Only because it's necessary, a small handful of Consigahrian federal intelligence agencies keep tabs on those who are addicted to a drug and seeking treatment. Cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol are specifically unregulated. The nation makes about NS$56 quadrillion a year, R$101 quadrillion in profit from cannabis sales annually. However, cannabis doesn't seem to be very addictive, although dependencies can be formed. In cases of dependency on cannabis, though it's not mandatory like treatment of other drugs is, psychotherapy is often employed. In cases where cannabis treats chronic pain, anxiety, or depression, doctors tend to prescribe stronger cannabis grown by the government. Tobacco is a specifically unregulated drug, as is alcohol. However, being that territories and municipalities have their own local governments, tobacco (as well as tobacco products and paraphernalia) and alcohol are illegal to be purchased by or sold to a minor. The age of consent law isn't very clearly defined, however it's generally accepted in most of the nation that a minor is anybody under the age of 18 for tobacco sales, and 21 for alcohol sales. However, some exceptions exist, as defined in the Drugs and Alcohol section of the Federal Body. Other drugs are potentially more criminal. PCP is also sold in small quantities by clinics, whose employees try to slowly wean users off the drug. Heroin, however, is treated differently than PCP; heroin addiction is rebutted with sales of other opioids. Rohypnol is rebutted with sales of medication, psychological counseling, group counseling, and participation in outpatient group therapy programs. As with treatment of dependency on other drugs, there are several government-level and state-level welfare programs which help the economically underprivileged to get the help they need. Amphetamines (for example, dextroamphetamine – a medication used in the treatment of ADHD that is also sometimes used to treat narcolepsy; levoamphetamine – a psychostimulant known to increase wakefulness and focus; lisdexamfetamine – used in treatment of ADHD; methamphetamine - used in treatment of ADHD and obesity; Adderall) are a real problem in ghettos across the nation. If you live in Consigahria, your doctor may prescribe methylphenidate if you have severe intravenous amphetamine dependence. Fluoxetine may decrease your cravings. Imipramine may help you stick with your treatment for amphetamine dependence. Your doctor may prescribe other medications to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and aggression. However, a prescription isn't necessary in Consigahria to obtain a drug that isn't necessarily over-the-counter. Hallucinogens, such as magic mushrooms and peyote, are also a problem, although most problematic cases involve the more dangerous drugs, such as a medication used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting called scopolamine, Consigahria's most dangerous and most potent drug. Hallucinogen addiction treatment in Consigahria is different from most other drugs that are addictive. The basic hallucinogen treatment is to care for the person and help keep them calm and stress free. This is because there are no pharmacological treatments that help with a hallucinogen dependency. Sometimes, the treatment includes seclusion for mental health purposes, especially in cases of addiction to scopolamine. Cocaine is the third most-popular recreational drug in Consigahria. There are many different types of cocaine addiction treatment. The most common methods of treatment include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Behavioral Therapy; Motivational Therapy; Rewards Therapy; Support Groups; Individual Counseling; Family Counseling; and Group Counseling. Each of these are a program, a subsidy of a welfare program for mental health. Cocaine is the number-one cause of marital violence in Consigahria, and the third leading cause for marital murder. Ecstasy, however, is not a common drug for primary addiction. There is no specific treatment; rather, general methods of treating addictive behavior are the rule. The first step (along with abstinence) is to identify the reasons for taking the drug and see how those problems can be addressed in other, more healthy ways. As of the year 2148, Consigahria is among the top 7% of world nations for the most drug use; the drug and alcohol black market generates more than NS$500.5 trillion (over R$250 trillion) annually. History The history of Consigahria is a 415-year-old story of war, natural disaster, terrorism, and how a collective intelligence triumphed over its worst adversaries. It goes through 16 Prime Ministers, a series of wars, two earthquakes and a tsunami, and deforestation of a second-generation forest. Consigahria was confederated on the date of November 6th, 1780, by Cornelius Davis I and his crew. It began as a dictatorship, and slowly morphed into the parliamentary democracy we see today. Three eras brought forth the weapons and tools of the nation's intelligentsia through no less than hard work and determination through failure. 1808 brought the Era of Democratization, in which Davis II confessed to the murder of his father, and promised to bring peaceful reign to the sprawling nation. 2007 brought the Feudal Era, in which Consigahria's western territories completely seceded from the nation, and then the two temporarily conjoined to do glorious battle. In 2014, West Consigahria fell to its knees. 2135 brought the Consigahrian-Brasilistani War. Brasilistan was decimated, and partitioned out to nations around the world. Consigahria, of course, got the largest slice of the proverbial pie. And finally, 2148 brought about the Era of the Oligarchy, where everyone is experiencing the benefits from its economic boom. More reading Original article